Protecting Whistleblowers in Southeast Europe: a Review of Policies, Cases and Initiatives

In the two years since the first edition of this report was released, Southeast Europe
has continued to see progress toward protecting whistleblowers from retaliation and
harness their disclosures to fight crime and corruption. As in all regions, however,
much work is needed to ensure that citizens and employees who report misconduct are
not punished as a result. Of the 10 countries profiled here, seven now have in place some form of legal
protections for whistleblowers. This is up from four countries in mid-2015, thanks to
laws passing or taking effect in Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro.
This number could rise soon, with policy-makers and activists working to develop new
laws in Croatia and Moldova. Among the 10 countries, only in Bulgaria is there little
momentum to strengthening whistleblower rights.

This report is being released as the Southeast Europe Coalition on Whistleblower Protection completes its second year in operation. The Coalition is comprised of more than 30 NGOs in 13 countries that receive and investigate whistleblower disclosures and complaints, advise and support whistleblowers, and advocate for stronger whistleblower laws. This report is an update of a 2015 report published by the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative.

The Media Development Center is a member of the Coalition and producer of the report on Bulgaria.